By Sara Fowler

“Today, we have the privilege of recognizing an organization whose mission echoes our own commitment to service, sacrifice, and honoring those who wore our nation’s uniform,” said 2025-2026 National President Pam Ray from the convention stage. 
 
That organization is Honor Flight Network. 


“It’s so great to be in an audience with people who share the same heart, same passions, and same loves,” said Earl Morse, 2026 American Legion Auxiliary Public Spirit Award recipient and Honor Flight founder. Also there to accept was chair of the board Theresa Werner.

In April 2026, the national American Legion Auxiliary sponsored its first all-female veteran Honor Flight, providing the veterans an unforgettable experience.

The veterans traveled to various memorials and monuments in Washington, D.C. with 46 Vietnam and Korean era veterans, who had the opportunity to make lasting connections with each other and be honored in our nation’s capital.

The two organizations entered a formal partnership in 2021 to support their missions of celebrating America’s veterans by inviting them to partake in a special day of honor at our nation’s memorials and monuments in Washington, D.C. 

“Like the American Legion Auxiliary, Honor Flight Network understands that service does not end when the uniform comes off,” Ray said from the convention stage. “It continues in how we honor, support, and stand beside our veterans — every single day.”

The Honor Flight Network is a nonprofit organization founded in 2005 and is comprised of about 130 independent hubs across the country with a common goal — to honor veterans from World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War by providing an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C. to visit their memorials, to honor their service, and provide them the recognition they deserve.

“Thank you so much for this award, and I thank you so much more for your support and everything you are doing to get these veterans the long overdue respect they deserve,” Morse. 

After learning about Honor Flight in 2010, Ray took her father, a U.S. Army veteran, on a flight that truly impacted both of their lives. Ray has been a passionate advocate of Honor Flight’s mission since, and her genuine connection to Honor Flight inspired her to lead the national American Legion Auxiliary in sponsoring the April flight.  

Currently, the majority of veterans on Honor Flights are from the Vietnam War. 

ALA community-level units regularly participate in Honor Flight events by acting as guardians, writing letters for mail call, and organizing send-off and welcome-home ceremonies. 

“If any of you have ever been on an Honor Flight trip with a Vietnam veteran, that long overdue respect is clearly on display,” Morse said. “Every Vietnam veteran in this nation deserves that — that’s the least we can do.”

The official collaboration between our organizations allows ALA units and departments to directly donate funds that are generated from the distribution of our poppy.

Honor Flight is one of the ALA’s three major national mission outreach activities where Poppy Funds can be used. First, money may be donated directly to Honor Flight hubs or to the Honor Flight Lone Eagle program. Second, funds may be used for any veteran and guardian items needed for a successful flight by donating directly to Honor Flight Inc. The last way to utilize Poppy Funds to support Honor Flight is by purchasing specific items that are needed.

For more information about Poppy Funds and Honor Flight, visit www.ALAforVeterans.org/Poppy-Funds. For more information on Honor Flight, visit www.honorflight.org.